Soorty Organic Cotton Initiative takes root
Pakistan-based vertically integrated denim manufacturer Soorty recently launched the Soorty Organic Cotton Initiative (SOCI), in partnership with World Wildlife Fund for Nature-Pakistan (WWF-Pakistan) and the Balochistan region’s Department of Agriculture Extension.
With SOCI, Soorty seeks to further its mission of creating an organic cotton revolution which mainstreams socially and environmentally responsible practices over the long term, a press release said. In reaching out to Balochistan’s farmers, Soorty hopes to find and “uplift” communities receptive to farming organically.
Company director, Asad Soorty, explained: “SOCI goes beyond just cultivating organic cotton. SOCI is about uplifting the farming families of this deprived region through higher income, better schooling and access to professional health services.
“It’s about transforming the way cotton buying is conducted, by creating a blockchain-based, transparent digital marketplace and traceability mechanism. This is our first foray into farming, and we’re excited by the possibilities in front of us.”
Senior director at WWF-Pakistan, Dr Masood Arshad, added: “Our partnership will accelerate organic cotton cultivation and will be a model for other local textile entities, as well as international brands.”
Balochistan’s largely rural Naal region is SOCI’s first target. Over the next four years, the project is slated to organically cultivate an area of around 7,000 acres in Naal, which will be able to generate over 17,000 tonnes of seed cotton and 6,000 tonnes of cotton lint.
In order to ensure the integrity of the organic cotton produced, Soorty will put blockchain-oriented transparency and traceability measures in place, the company said, along with “rigorous and frequent” GMO testing at “every step” of the chain.
Image: Soorty.
